Meet The State Assembly Candidate: Carol Murphy

Incumbent Assemblywoman Carol Murphy is running for re-election in New Jersey's 7th Legislative District this fall. She will run unopposed in the June 8 Democratic Primary. She and Democratic running mate and fellow incumbent Herb Conaway will face Republicans Douglas Dillon and Joseph Jesuele in the Nov. 2 General Elections.

Patch asked each candidate to complete a questionnaire outlining biographical information, their platform and their stands on a handful of issues. Patch will run profiles using these responses in the months leading up to Election Day.

Profiles are presented here in the same format as the questionnaires given to the candidates. There were no further instructions, and none of the responses has been edited (beyond basic proofreading and formatting). Readers can make their own judgments on how the candidates did or didn't answer the questions.

Here is the profile submitted by Carol Murphy:

Age (as of Election Day)

58

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Michael Muller, Husband, 47

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

My husband, Michael, is Senior Advisor to the NJ Senate Democratic Majority and CEO to the NJ Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee, and is the owner of Muller Public Strategies, a public affairs, strategic communications, and political campaign firm.

Education

Purdue University Global (formerly Kaplan University) B.S. Liberal Arts and Sciences

Occupation

Full-time State Legislator

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

State Assembly, 7th Legislative District (elected 2017)

Campaign website

www.votecarolmurphy.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

My inspiration to run for public office is a drive to make a difference. As the proud daughter of a Bronze Star US Army Veteran, I believe that public service is a noble pursuit and want to help people. As a State Assemblywoman, I have seen firsthand that commonsense solutions to complex problems can be achieved and want to continue on that path. During my time in the state legislature, I learned about the plight of home healthcare workers struggling to reach patients and my new law to create a unique parking placard solved a problem they long struggled to address; I fought to fix outdated sexual harassment policies that stack the deck against victims; and authored a new law to protect public school students from going hungry due to economic challenges. During the past year, we have faced a pandemic, and I'm proud to have worked tirelessly to help constituents struggling through unemployment issues, helping small businesses rebound economically and working to establish innovative laws to bring 5G technology statewide, which became imperative during COVID with remote schooling and working. I'm excited about the next challenges to make our state and even better place to call home.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The post-pandemic environment will require versatile approaches to public policy as the population continues to become vaccinated, we must focus on supporting small businesses, restaurants and breweries recovering from the past year, safe reopening of our schools, and assist the growing mental health challenges exacerbated during COVID.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

It is important to me to run on my record, public policy positions and values, and believe the differences should be determined by voters judging our respective visions.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

During my time in the state legislature, I've distinguished myself as a leader willing to take on greater responsibilities serving the General Assembly Majority as Deputy Majority Leader, Vice-Chair of the Judiciary Committee and nationally, as both an Executive Board member of the National Conference of State Legislators and State Director of the National Foundation of Women Legislators.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Be true to yourself.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

As a young adult, I volunteered to renovate, upgrade and build parks to give children a safe place to play. As my passion for service grew, I went to work in state government working to increase transparency, assist with building public schools and worked on public policy to reduce gun violence, ensure pay equity, fought for economic opportunity, improving access to healthcare and keeping prescription drugs affordable.